homes in new york city severely damaged by hurricane sandy will be demolished. city officials say about 200 buildings will be bull dozed in the coming days. 500 other damaged homes and structures are still being inspected and could meet a similar fate. as michelle miller reports, replacing what was lost won't be easy. >> the water was already coming up to the window. and inside the house, it was already above my knees. >> reporter: it was a harrowing night for michael peters, his wife, and four daughters. hurricane sandy swept their three-room home off its foundation two weeks ago, forcing them to spend the night on the roof. >> we were there from 9:00 p.m. in the night all the way till, like, 8:00 p.m. in the morning. >> reporter: you were on your roof for 12 hours? >> yes. >> reporter: for now, they're staying at mount manresa, a religious retreat housing more than a dozen families. they're among 47,000 new yorkers who have applied for housing help from the federal emergency management agency. do you feel safe here? >> oh, yes, yes. this is definitely, we feel